There’s new hope on climate change, with 20% of the world’s electricity being produced by renewables! China’s aggressively invested billions in solar energy, making it almost as cheap as fossil fuels. But, instead of meeting that investment, the EU and US may be about to slap tariffs on Chinese solar panels, preventing a green revolution. Sign the petition to stop a trade war, and hold talks to save solar:

Climate change is accelerating, but there’s a massive ray of hope: clean energy is booming, producing nearly 20% of the world’s electricity! Incredibly, the US and EU are threatening to stifle this breakthrough — but together we can stop them.

In the last decade the Chinese government has invested billions in solar, sending panel prices plummeting and making clean green tech almost as cheap as dirty fossil fuels. But the US and EU, who give billions in taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil and Coal, are about to drive solar prices back up by putting tariffs on China, and now China is threatening to retaliate. A full on trade war is brewing that could kill the crucial green energy revolution.

The EU and US are deciding right now. Most of the solar industry is against tariffs — and now massive public support could tip the balance. Sign the urgent petition to save solar – if we build a 500,000 strong petition, Avaaz will make a formal submission to the US International Trade Commission and EU trade Commissioner calling for talks not tariffs:

China has a poor human rights and environmental record, and its strategy of flooding the global market with subsidised goods could be found to be too aggressive. But the right response to this is not tariffs, it is investment. While China, the EU, and the US all funnel billions into Big Coal and Oil to destroy our planet, China is also providing huge loans and subsidies to the solar industry. And that’s exactly what other governments have failed to do.

Following the bankruptcy of a handful of US and EU solar manufacturers, some lobbyists are pushing politicians to blame China, instead of their own insufficient and inappropriate subsidies. Some claim that domestic jobs are threatened by low cost Chinese panels, but the truth is the opposite — experts predict that tariffs could cost 60,000 jobs in the US alone. The vast majority of jobs in the solar sector outside of China are in installing and servicing panels, not manufacturing them, so cheaper panels now means more work, and more jobs. And less climate change.

The EU trade Commissioner initiated the investigation into tariffs today and the US ITC proceedings are about to kick off. Written statements to both must be submitted in days to be considered. We’re in a race against the clock to green our economies and prevent catastrophic climate change, and Chinese success in green tech could be the perfect catalyst for the rest of the world to scale up the technology and sustainably bring down prices. Let’s make sure the EU and the US don’t kill our ray of hope:

In the world most of us everywhere want, our governments would incentivise clean energy, and not hand out our tax money to polluters making record profits from dirtying our land, air and water and destroying our planet. Today, we can save solar, and take one step closer to that future.

With hope,

Iain, Joseph, Alice, David, Julien, Emma, Ricken and the rest of the Avaaz team

“In Search of Simplicity is a unique and awe-inspiring way to re-visit and even answer some of the gnawing questions we all intrinsically have about the meaning of life and our true, individual purpose on the planet. I love this book.”

“In Search of Simplicity is one of those rare literary jewels with the ability to completely and simultaneously ingratiate itself into the mind, heart and soul of the reader.”

Heather Slocumb, Apex Reviews

“The author’s experiments and experiences working with nature simply amaze. . . . Beyond the Search is a treasure trove for those who enjoy planting and reaping as it seems nature intended, with respect for each animal and insect as belonging on the planet and therefore deserving of honour.”

Big banks have been caught in a massive scam to rig global interest rates, ripping off millions of people on their mortgages, student loans and more! We’d go to jail for this, but Barclays bank has only been fined, and just a fraction of their profits! Outrage is mounting — this is our chance to finally turn the tide of the banks’ reign over our democracies.

The EU finance regulator, Michel Barnier is standing up to the powerful bank lobby and championing reform that would put bankers behind bars for fraud like this. If the EU goes first, accountability could quickly spread across the globe. But the banks are lobbying hard against it, and we need a massive surge of people power to drive these reforms through.

If we can get 1 million people to stand with Barnier in the next 3 days, it will give him momentum to face down the banking lobby and push governments to bring reform. Click below to sign, and our growing numbers will be represented by adding mock bankers to a jail right in front of the EU Parliament:

The full scale of the scandal is still unknown, but what we know is breathtaking: “Several” unnamed major banks were involved, and the rigging of the LIBOR interest rate, the rate on which many of the world’s interest rates are based, affected the value of literally hundreds of trillions of dollars in investments. Barclays alone has admitted to committing this fraud “hundreds” of times.

For too long, our governments have been cowed by powerful banks who threatened to move elsewhere if challenged. For too long, banks have manipulated our market economies, tilting the playing field in their favour, and engaging in reckless risk-taking, secure in the knowledge that they could force governments to hand them our taxpayer money when they got into trouble.

The system is rigged, and that’s a crime. It’s time to put the criminals behind bars for it. It starts in Europe — let’s make it happen:

There may never have been a time in modern history when the big banks didn’t have excessive and extraordinary power that they regularly abused. But democracy is on the march — we’ve seen this march overcome tyrants across the world, and together, we’ll help end the reign of the banks as well.

“In Search of Simplicity is a unique and awe-inspiring way to re-visit and even answer some of the gnawing questions we all intrinsically have about the meaning of life and our true, individual purpose on the planet. I love this book.”

I’m writing with a personal plea for help from Japan. A nuclear inspector just said that the fate of my country and much of the world depends on Fukushima’s Reactor Number 4. If this damaged structure collapses, the spread of radiation would go way beyond Japan’s borders and be truly catastrophic.

Since last year’s tragic earthquake and tsunami in Fukushima, a pool of highly dangerous spent nuclear fuel is being held in reactor 4’s crumbling structure. Experts say another strong earthquake would cause the pool to collapse and emit such high radiation that my family and the 35 million people in Tokyo would be forced to evacuate. It would also contaminate the skies across the Pacific and into Asia. The area around the toxic pool is vulnerable to regular seismic shocks, but, amazingly, my government is denying the risks, likely desperate not to cause panic.

Global nuclear experts, a US Senator and tens of thousands of people across Japan are raising the alarm. My country has the technology to stop this disaster, but not the political will. The best way to curb this lethal threat that would dwarf last year’s disaster is a global wave of public pressure on my government to agree an emergency plan with UN experts. Click below to sign the petition to the UN and Prime Minister Noda and forward this to everyone:

Reactor 4 has no walls or roof and there are thousands of spent fuel rods inside the pool containing ten times the amount of radioactive material released in the Chernobyl nuclear accident. This material, Cesium 137, is so explosive that to avoid spontaneous fire, the dilapidated pool must be constantly cooled. Radiation from Cesium 137 can remain dangerous for hundreds of years. If the pool collapsed and a fire ensued reactor 4 is just 50 meters from the other reactors that contain thousands more spent fuel rods. The scope of disaster is nearly unfathomable!

Nuclear scientists say the fuel must be removed from the pool as fast as possible to a safe and dry cask strorage facility. But the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Japan’s embattled nuclear energy giant, insists they have reinforced the structure and is relying on the vulnerable pool storage system to hold up. Since last year’s disaster people’s trust in TEPCO and official institutions has plummeted — their response has been dismal and for years, safety breaches were covered up and government regulators looked the other way.

One Japanese politician called the Reactor 4 risk, ‘the ultimate catastrophe for the world’. I do not want my grandchildren or anyone across the world to grow up on the brink of nuclear disaster, and together we can stop it. Let’s cause a public storm and get the UN’s attention and remove this risk forever. Sign the urgent petition then forward this to everyone:

The people across my country are still reeling from last year’s earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe, but the triple disaster emboldened the citizens for change. Weeks ago, Japanese Avaaz members helped make my country the first developed nation on earth to go nuclear free. Now let’s together remove this last remaining lethal threat before it is too late.
MORE INFORMATION

“In Search of Simplicity is a unique and awe-inspiring way to re-visit and even answer some of the gnawing questions we all intrinsically have about the meaning of life and our true, individual purpose on the planet. I love this book.”

The following note from Avaaz seems timely as I’m just now beginning to read a book called The Unnatural History of the Sea by Callum Roberts. What we are currently doing to the oceans isn’t new, but the scale is massive. Please read the words below, sign the petition and help save our oceans now.

From Avaaz:

Our oceans are dying. Beset by pollution and demolition industrial fishing, the magical and bountiful deep blue is turning into a barren desert. But in the next 72 hours, governments are considering a new rescue plan — and we can help push it through.

Shockingly, governments spend billions subsidising the commercial fishing industry to pillage our seas. The new plan would end this scandal, craft a new treaty to protect the high seas, and establish critical marine protection reserves. But Canada, the US and Japan are threatening to water down or even kill it. Our only hope is to get behind Europe to champion the idea before it’s too late.

This crucial meeting is being held quietly behind closed doors at the UN. Let’s break open the talks and deliver massive global support to Europe to save our oceans. Sign the urgent petition and send this to everyone — once we hit 500,000 signatures, we’ll deliver the petition straight into the meeting:

Our marine ecosystems are collapsing, and 85% of fish stocks are dangerously depleted. But no one is policing the trawlers’ plunder, and waste is poisoning our seas. Without an urgent intervention now, our grandchildren may study whales and coral reefs in their history lessons.

Scientists say that what we need right now is a bold plan that sets aside 20% of our blue planet as conservation areas by 2020, allowing the seas to replenish themselves for generations to come; ends subsidies to the industrial fishing complex; and creates a new protection agreement for the oceans outside of national boundaries.

Against the odds, the European Union is pushing for an agreement this week, and has the support of droves of developing countries. But the blockers are battling to limit the conservation areas and kick decisions on a global treaty far into the future. If they don’t get that, they are threatening to drown the plan completely before it is even born. This week is do or die for the oceans — our only hope is to massively and publicly get behind the Europeans in the next three days and drive an oceans rescue plan through. Sign this urgent petition now:

We know we can win on oceans. Our community helped establish the largest marine reserve in the world and won protections for whales and tuna. But our oceans are dying faster than ever, and one by one species are coming closer to the brink. Let’s demand a comprehensive global oceans rescue plan now.

With hope,

Stephanie, Iain, Allison, Alice, Ricken, Luca, Diego and the rest of the Avaaz team

SOURCES

International Policy: United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Pew Environment Group)

“In Search of Simplicity is a unique and awe-inspiring way to re-visit and even answer some of the gnawing questions we all intrinsically have about the meaning of life and our true, individual purpose on the planet. I love this book.”

The following words are part of an email I received on December 15th. Frankly, I didn’t open it until today as I was on a lovely 12 day holiday with Lucia (our first for just the two of us since our first daughter was born over 20 years ago) at the time of the email’s arrival. I would much rather hike and swim in nature while on holiday than check my inbox!

And since I make it a point not to read newspapers, watch TV or listen to the radio, I’m a little slow off the mark on the recent furor over WikiLeaks. So please have a read of this information provided by activist group Avaaz.

Avaaz—meaning “voice” in several European, Middle Eastern and Asian languages—launched in 2007 with a simple democratic mission: organize citizens of all nations to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want.

Avaaz empowers millions of people from all walks of life to take action on pressing global, regional and national issues, from corruption and poverty to conflict and climate change. Our model of internet organising allows thousands of individual efforts, however small, to be rapidly combined into a powerful collective force.(Read about results on the Highlights page.)

The Avaaz community campaigns in 14 languages, served by a core team on 4 continents and thousands of volunteers. We take action — signing petitions, funding media campaigns and direct actions, emailing, calling and lobbying governments, and organizing “offline” protests and events — to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people inform the decisions that affect us all.

Here’s the email I received complete with links where you can join the tide of difference (rather than indifference, that is) in standing up to the intimidation of governments which don’t seem to truly have the global community’s best interests in mind.

The massive campaign of intimidation against WikiLeaks is sending a chill through free press advocates everywhere.

Legal experts say WikiLeaks has likely broken no laws. Yet top US politicians have called it a terrorist group and commentators have urged assassination of its staff. The organization has come under massive government and corporate attack, but WikiLeaks is only publishing information provided by a whistleblower. And it has partnered with the world’s leading newspapers (NYT, Guardian, Spiegel etc) to carefully vet the information it publishes.

The massive extra-judicial intimidation of WikiLeaks is an attack on democracy. We urgently need a public outcry for freedom of the press and expression. Sign the petition to stop the crackdown and forward this email to everyone — let’s get to 1 million voices and take out full page ads in US newspapers this week!

WikiLeaks isn’t acting alone — it’s partnered with the top newspapers in the world (New York Times, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, etc) to carefully review 250,000 US diplomatic cables and remove any information that it is irresponsible to publish. Only 800 cables have been published so far. Past WikiLeaks publications have exposed government-backed torture, the murder of innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, and corporate corruption.

The US government is currently pursuing all legal avenues to stop WikiLeaks from publishing more cables, but the laws of democracies protect freedom of the press. The US and other governments may not like the laws that protect our freedom of expression, but that’s exactly why it’s so important that we have them, and why only a democratic process can change them.

Reasonable people can disagree on whether WikiLeaks and the leading newspapers it’s partnered with are releasing more information than the public should see. Whether the releases undermine diplomatic confidentiality and whether that’s a good thing. Whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has the personal character of a hero or a villain. But none of this justifies a vicious campaign of intimidation to silence a legal media outlet by governments and corporations. Click below to join the call to stop the crackdown:

Ever wonder why the media so rarely gives the full story of what happens behind the scenes? This is why – because when they do, governments can be vicious in their response. And when that happens, it’s up to the public to stand up for our democratic rights to a free press and freedom of expression. Never has there been a more vital time for us to do so.

“In Search of Simplicity is a unique and awe-inspiring way to re-visit and even answer some of the gnawing questions we all intrinsically have about the meaning of life and our true, individual purpose on the planet. I love this book.”

As you may know, I choose not to eat creatures with eyes. I encourage you to support the following appeal by Avaaz to protect the bluefin tuna. And I encourage you to consider reducing the amount of seafood that you eat. The world’s fisheries are in a devastated condition and, ultimately, our consumption patterns drive the systems which are severely damaging our oceans and their inhabitants. Do take the time to read the following information and click on the link to support Avaaz in their efforts to protect the world’s oceans. It is our collective voices which, when raised, will drown out the chatter of greed we are currently witnessing in the world.

Thanks, John

Bluefin tuna face annihilation. These majestic fish are at the heart of the marine food chain — without them, oceanic ecosystems could collapse. But a crucial summit launched today could be our chance at a vital recovery plan — with a global outcry.

As the tuna talks begin, their outcome is utterly uncertain: Japan, which consumes 80% of bluefin tuna, is calling for action, but other nations are wary of its seriousness, and Europe is deeply divided and under pressure from Mediterranean governments allied with elite and even criminal fishing cartels.

Our best chance to make this summit a success is to transform it from a behind-the-scenes negotiation into a political firestorm. The power of the cartels is greatest when nobody is paying attention — but if we show governments that the world’s eyes are on them, we can open a chance for a breakthrough. Sign the petition to save this ecologically vital fish and forward this email — our public demands will be delivered directly to negotiators and the media inside the summit:

The situation is dramatic — Atlantic bluefin tuna have been reduced to just 15% of their historic levels and tuna fishing is becoming a business of criminals with a $4 billion black market. One tuna fetches $100,000 and fishermen are duping the regulators with falsified data, shunning monitoring systems, rampantly overfishing and selling illegal, unreported and unregulated fish.

All those responsible for ensuring sustainable tuna stocks are failing — The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the global regulating body that meets this week, has ignored their own scientists recommendations for a blue fin fishing ban; the EC Fisheries Commissioner, who initially proposed emergency action, is being blocked by member states and the EC has itself subsidised specialised vessels for over exploitation; and trading countries have illegally exceeded ICCAT quotas. Continued negligence could wipe out blue fin tuna completely.

Today, tuna profits are controlled by a very small high-tech fishing elite who run purse seine vessels and tuna fattening farms. But the rest of the fishing communities livelihoods are suffering massive losses. And this plundering affects all of us — as bluefin are near the top of the food-chain their commercial extinction could set off a domino effect with dire consequences. Put simply — without the big predator fish, the medium fish will eat all the small fish and no one is left to eat the microrganisms. In just a few decades this could mean our oceans die and are overrun by jelly fish and slime.

Ironically it may be Japan who push hardest for serious action at the ICCAT meeting. The Japanese Fisheries Agency is saying Japanese consumers may have to “just forget about tuna for the time being,” whilst the Mitsubishi Corporation, one of the world’s largest buyers of bluefin tuna has announced its commitment to protect healthy stocks, support spawning sanctuaries and reduced purchases to enable the recovery of threatened populations.

But we cannot leave this to the politicians and the players in the tuna market. It’s time to show our outrage at this shameless flouting of international rules, and call loudly for ICCAT to take urgent action to halve catch quotas (at a minimum), implement effective and transparent enforcement, punish violating countries and create no take, protected spawning reserves. Sign the petition and send this to everyone:

“In Search of Simplicity is a unique and awe-inspiring way to re-visit and even answer some of the gnawing questions we all intrinsically have about the meaning of life and our true, individual purpose on the planet. I love this book.”

I received the following note in my inbox today. Once again, it is extraordinarily gratifying to see what can come out of global citizens around the world standing together in support of worthy causes. Feel free to stand up and be counted the next time the whales call out for our help. They no longer need to be part of school lunches in Japan. The fact is that Japanese school children don’t even like whale meat.

Cheers, John

Dear friends,

We did it! The proposal to legalise whale killing went down in flames in Morocco — and our campaign helped to tip the balance.

In a few short weeks, we built the biggest whale-saving petition in history, signed by an extraordinary 1.2 million of us worldwide, and delivered it directly to key delegates at the International Whaling Commission meeting. In the end, the 24 year old whaling ban was upheld.

The pro-whaling lobby tried to use political favours to win a so called ‘compromise’ that amounts to a quota for hunting whales, but as tension grew in the closed-door talks, our massive petition became a top story on the BBC’s world news, and we worked with friendly negotiators and other allies to put pressure where it was most needed and draw greater global attention.

To see highlights of this victory and help take our campaigning together to the next level, click here now:

The Australian environment minister Peter Garrett received our petition for like-minded governments in front of the world’s media and said “Thank you very much Avaaz. It is a great pleasure to be here and accept this petition…I believe the people of the world’s voices need to be heard. I certainly hear them today.”

The US delegation greeted us saying — “Avaaz! We saw your billboard at the airport!” and delegates were overheard excitedly discussing our giant real-time petition counter outside the meeting as it blew far past the million mark.

After the meeting, one European negotiator told us: “We’ve managed to keep the ban in place…I’ve been checking the petition online. I was very impressed by how fast the numbers are rising and seeing people signing from across the world.”

This is an important victory for whales — and for global people power — together we demonstrated that international decisions can be shifted by a little bit of well-placed effort from a lot of people everywhere.

But winning this battle won’t guarantee the whales’ safety yet — Japan’s “scientific” whaling fleet is already sailing out of harbour through IWC loopholes to kill hundreds of whales.

To win for good, we’ll need to campaign to strengthen and reform the IWC, and to mobilise in countries with pro-whaling governments like Japan — where the Cabinet knows Avaaz and we have changed environmental policy in the past.

We can do it if enough of us chip in just a small amount. Avaaz campaigning will be entirely member-funded this year, so every donation makes us more effective. Help fund campaigning in Japan and other key nations now – click here to donate and make it happen:

Over its short lifespan, our movement has exploded through a simple democratic idea: that people power can stand up and win against powerful special interests. Whether it be protecting whales, countering corruption, supporting authentic democracy movements or fighting for a global climate deal, we are coming together to bridge the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want.

Now, if enough of us chip in just a small amount for Avaaz’s member-funded campaigning, we’ll have the strength to win even more victories. Click here now to donate —

“In Search of Simplicity is a unique and awe-inspiring way to re-visit and even answer some of the gnawing questions we all intrinsically have about the meaning of life and our true, individual purpose on the planet. I love this book.”